Doc Watson- Life’s Work: A Retrospective review

Doc Watson Life’s Work: A Retrospective Craft Recordings I look up and I am staring at a picture of Doc Watson (and Jack Lawrence) taken in Tacoma in 2001. Over my shoulder, his first Vanguard album has pride of place, and on the record and CD shelves surrounding me there are about as many discs…

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Fervor Coulee’s Favourite Roots Reissues and Archival Releases of 2020

The Other Stuff: Reissues, Archival, Compilations, Live, Covers & Tributes. Being somewhat ‘stuck in the past’ (at least as far as my definition of roots music goes) I typically have no problem with this category of releases. Often times familiar—that’s the compilations, reissues, and (sometimes) live components—and more often fresh and revealing—that’s the archival, covers,…

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Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton- Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton review

Doc Watson & Gaither Carlton- Doc Watson & Gaither Carlton Smithsonian Folkways “That’s the old music,” is how Gaither Carlton, Doc Watson’s father-in-law once reportedly described that contained within the iconic Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music. It is a subject Carlton knew well, as did Watson. These recordings, contemporaneous to music released on…

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Fervor Coulee’s Favourite Roots Albums of the Decade, 2010-2019 (#31-#40, pt. 2/5)

When considering inclusion on this list, I weighed the album’s positioning on my annual lists, how frequently I continue to listen to the recording, its impact on me—has it influenced me down a path of listening— and how enjoyable I continue to find the music. The final element is most important: can I listen to…

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The Old Stuff, 2018

The Old Stuff: Fervor Coulee’s Favourite Reissue, Archival, Live, Tribute, Re-recording, and Compilation Releases of 2018: 1. Bobbie Gentry – The Girl from Chickasaw County : The Complete Capitol Masters The best box set I can recall purchasing, this 8-disc beauty features all the Capitol tracks one knew existed, and a whole bunch we didn’t.…

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Favourite Roots Albums of 2018, so far

It’s July 1. The year is half over and during the past six months some terrific music has been released. While I have heard my share of the roots music that has come out, I haven’t heard it all. I do have my favourites and that is what I share today: Fervor Coulee’s Favourite Roots…

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Curly Seckler, a bluegrass legend, remembered

I don’t know when I first fully noticed Curly Seckler, but it may have been early in 2005 when he quipped, “Come here, you money-making thing!” to kick-off his penultimate album, Down In Caroline. I had, of course, heard Curly Seckler prior to that. As a keen listener of bluegrass for more than a dozen…

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Balsam Range- It’s Christmas Time review

Balsam Range It’s Christmas Time Mountain Home Music Company Considering I’ve yet to experience the group in concert, I would still place Balsam Range on my list of contemporary ‘top ten’ bluegrass bands. I’ve written about them several times (Here, here,  here, here, and again here) and I am certain they have never disappointed me…

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Janice MacDonald- “Hang Down Your Head”- the music

A bit more than a year ago, I became aware of a novel published the previous year. When I finally saw the book in a bookstore, three things immediately struck me: 1. There was a banjo on the cover, albeit of the dreaded six-string variety; 2. The novel was entitled Hang Down Your Head, a…

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Elizabeth Cook Plays One For Doc Watson

Elizabeth Cook is everything that is good about country music. Here, she rips through “Columbus Stockade Blues.” Doc never did it quite like this… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQU1W4psu6g&feature=youtu.be “I have seen the David, I’ve seen the Mona Lisa, too. I have heard Doc Watson play Columbus Stockade Blues.” -Guy Clark, “Dublin Blues”  

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